Investigating the Factors Affecting the Participation of Small Scale-Farmers in Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Zambia: A Case Study of Mpongwe Rural Communities, Copperbelt Province

Abstract

Small-scale farmers play a significant role in supporting rural livelihoods and agricultural production in Zambia. However, despite increasing opportunities to engage in agriculture as a business, many farmers remain confined to subsistence farming, while limited research has examined how socio-economic, institutional, and infrastructural and market-related factors influence their participation in agricultural entrepreneurship at the community level. This study investigated the factors affecting the participation of small-scale farmers in agricultural entrepreneurship in Mpongwe District of Zambia’s Copperbelt Province. Specifically, the study explored the influence of socio-economic, institutional, and infrastructural and market-related factors on farmers’ participation. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving 25 respondents comprising 20 small-scale farmers and 5 key informants from three villages in Mpongwe District. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically, guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The findings revealed that household income, land size, education, age, and gender influenced farmers’ participation, with limited financial capacity to purchase farming inputs emerging as the greatest constraint. Cooperative membership served as an important gateway to institutional support, while non-members had limited access to government input programmes, extension services, and agricultural credit. Poor rural roads, inadequate storage facilities, weak mobile network coverage, and limited market opportunities further constrained farmers’ ability to operate profitably. The study concludes that socio-economic, institutional, and infrastructural and market-related factors are interconnected and collectively constrain small-scale farmers’ participation in agricultural entrepreneurship in Mpongwe District. The study recommends strengthening cooperative outreach, improving timely input delivery, expanding extension services, increasing access to agricultural credit, and investing in rural roads, storage facilities, and communication infrastructure.